ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS@#Normal myocardial perfusion is closely associated with very low rates of cardiac events and better long-term outcomes; however, little is known about its prognostic value in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).@*METHODS@#A total of 286 incident patients underwent baseline cardiac evaluations using echocardiography and stress-rest single-photon emission computed tomography. Perfusion scans for 177 patients (61.9%) who had a summed stress score (SSS) < 4 were normal.@*RESULTS@#During the 4-year follow-up period, 79 cardiac events occurred. Patients with a SSS < 4 had significantly lower annual rates of cardiac events than did those with a SSS ≥ 4 (6.4% vs. 13.2%; hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.31 to 0.94). Among patients with a SSS < 4, however, cardiac event rates significantly differed according to the presence of comorbid conditions such as old age, diabetes, history of coronary artery disease, and elevated C-reactive protein levels. In addition, the presence of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and LV hypertrophy at the start of hemodialysis strongly influenced future cardiac events.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In patients with ESRD, normal perfusion scans usually indicate a significantly low risk of adverse cardiac events. However, even in patients with normal perfusion scans, the cardiovascular prognosis is largely dependent on baseline inflammation levels and comorbidities.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Tolvaptan is a very effective treatment for hypervolemic or euvolemic hyponatremia. We compared the clinical efficacy of and response to tolvaptan in patients with the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) and congestive heart failure (CHF). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 50 patients (SIADH, n = 30; CHF, n = 20) who were prescribed tolvaptan between July 2013 and October 2015. Tolvaptan was prescribed when the serum sodium level was 135 mmol/L. RESULTS: After the initiation of tolvaptan therapy, there was an immediate response in the urine volume and serum sodium level in all patients. The improvements in the urine volume and serum sodium concentration were highest within the first 24 hours of treatment. In addition, the mean change in the serum sodium level during the first 24 hours was significantly higher in patients with SIADH than in those with CHF (∆Na, 9.9 ± 4.5 mmol/L vs. 6.9 ± 4.4 mmol/L, respectively; p = 0.025). Also, the mean maintenance dose was lower, and the total duration of tolvaptan use was slightly shorter in the SIADH group than CHF group (21.5 ± 14.9 days vs. 28.0 ± 20.1 days, p = 0.070). CONCLUSIONS: The early response to tolvaptan treatment was better in patients with SIADH than in those with CHF. Thus, the tolvaptan treatment strategy should be differed between patients with SIADH and those with CHF.